Dr. Lito Cruz pointed out, in the post below, the utter lack of discernment among the UOJ fanatics.
Their basic problems include a obstinate refusal to acknowledge the efficacy of the Word and the definition of Enthusiasts. Neither do they understand the Means of Grace or Universalism.
Their mishandling of Scripture reveals their lupine nature.
For them, the atonement of Christ means every single person in the world is forgiven - even before birth. That applies to everyone born in the past, everyone who will be born in the future. They associate their strange dogma with all the synonyms for the atonement, such as expiation and redemption. Rolf Preus and the rest of the Stormtroopers continue to assert this.
The UOJ Enthusiasts cannot grasp that justification is NOT a synonym for the atoning death of Christ. Their stupidity shows when they constantly repeat that justification by faith is Calvinist and assumes a limited atonement.
The difference is that justification by faith is God's declaration of innocence, the result of the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. The Gospel is the proclamation of the atonement, reconciliation, or expiation. Merging the two terms reveals complete ignorance of the Means of Grace.
Terms are bandied about without any consciousness of their meaning in different confessions. Roman Catholics speak about the Means of Grace, but that grace is quite diluted if believers must spend thousands of years tortured in Purgatory because that grace was not sufficient for complete forgiveness. (They say "sins forgiven but not paid for.")
Likewise, the generic Protestant churches have baptism and the Lord's Supper. They seldom say "Holy Communion" because that suggests the Real Presence. Lutherans still use their NIV with "communion" removed from the crucial passages and 1 Peter 3:21 butchered. The LCMS and WELS gave up the Means of Grace when they promoted the NIV, so ignorance has grown over time. Or is it apathy?
The generic Protestants have a version of the sacraments, but they deny the efficacy of the sacraments. When they say those "ordinances" - as they call them - are witnesses to one's faith, are they not in harmony with the UOJ fanatics who say the Means of Grace tell people they are already forgiven?
How can the Word and Sacraments be Instruments of Grace when the entire universe already has the benefit of grace - forgiveness and salvation?
Needless to say, the most ignorant of the Church and Changers are the loudest about UOJ. Tim Glende started his blog of bad spelling, worse grammar, and odious dogma by defending the Appleton craving for Church and Change.
Also superfluous - the Appleton area is the prime example of WELS plagiarism, whether at St. Peter Freedom, St. Mark Depere, or Bethany Appleton.
The prosecution rests, but not for long.
